As Australia’s involvement in international response and recovery operations has increased over the past decade, so has the number of government agencies contributing specialist capabilities and expertise to these operations.
In this context, the need for effective interaction and enhanced preparedness between agencies is crucial to the success and effectiveness of operations. While agencies will undertake their own programs and activities to ensure they are prepared for their role in interagency operations, there is a need also to focus on interagency preparedness for cross-agency interaction—in decision-making, coordination and collaboration.
The approach outlined in the Australian Interagency Preparedness Framework (AIPF) brings together the current practices, activities and resources that contribute to interagency preparedness in a coherent and cohesive framework.